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size wetlands, and coordinating with other agencies and local governments ^ 

 to ensure appropriate land use policies are in place. 



i. Cooperative projects with" IDFG, US FWS, and land management 

 agencies such as the US Forest Service and the US Bureau of Land 

 Management are encouraged. The principal advantage of cooperative 

 projects is the ease of managing contiguous areas as compared to isolated 

 bank sites. 



j. ITD will design and construct wetland banks. Regulatory and resource 

 agencies will be encouraged to express their interests and to provide 

 expertise as requested by ITD. 



.k. A wetland bank site will be designed to be easily managed and to 

 function with little or no human intervention. Suggested methods to achieve 

 these goals include developing one large - ratner than numerous small, 

 wetland bank sites - and locating the site adjacent to an existing 

 management area. IDFG will normally be the first agency offered 

 ownership in a wetland bank site and responsibility for operation and 

 maintenance. 



I. The costs associated with the development of a wetland bank that are 

 determined by FHWA to be practicable mitigation measures for federal aid C: 

 projects, are eligible project costs and reimbursable to ITD. FHWA financial 

 participation in the development of a wetland bank is dependent on the 

 continued maintenance of the site by a public agency. FHWA will not pay for 

 maintenance of a wetland bank. 



m. ITD will normally bid contracts for revegetation of a wetland bank site 

 with the provision that plant materials will be replaced by the contractor if 

 they perish within one growing season. 



n. Instruction will be provided by ITD to the public agency assuming 

 ownership of a wetland bank site to assist them in managing wetlands for 

 values other than those within their area of expertise. 



o. Use of the wetland bank to mitigate for project related wetland impacts 

 will require ITD to demonstrate the following: 



1 ) The activity causing a wetland impact is unavoidable. 



2) All other restoration and compensation methods have been 

 examined and found to be impracticable. 



3) A functioning wetland has been created according to a 

 previously prepared plan, and its usefulness documented by an 

 evaluation program. 



